- Joined
- Jan 1, 2018
- Messages
- 56
I have a few questions about honing. I apologize in advance for rambling. I am new to the forum but not new to honing. About a decade of experience. I spend usually a couple hours a day re-honing all my cheap folders. I almost never need to do it. I use mostly just arkansas stones, soft white and hard black though I also have a hanging strop loaded w/ chromium oxide. I have Black emery compound I'll use with paper, cardboard, or the loose, felt-side of the hanging strop i cut free after the glue let go. I have a rotary tool with a cloth wheel i use as the end to buff if I am trying to avoid convexing my edges with the hanging strop. I also had a an edge-pro that i burned the motor our from over-use. I just got an Ontario Rat1 in D2 and figure if I can put a wicked edge on that I should be able to handle most folders.
Questions:
A sticky sharp blade never seems to last beyond stropping. Is that sticky-sharp sensation from the burr only?
How often does everyone else maintain their stones? I clean my stones before each use and after, but only flatten them when i notice uneven-ness. I cant tell with the hard black arkansas though, so I flatten it every 2 or 3 knives, but it's only a 3 inch stone. How often do you clean the stones with a brush though? Use soap or comet?
My Ontario Rat1 does seem to chip a bit at the very edge when honing, I think I just kept the factory angle of maybe 18 degrees per side. This could be bc I was just clumsy at the beginning. What angle do most put on a d2 edge? The Ontario is a flat grind. Would diamond hones, with their higher hardness, and a lighter stroke cause less chipping?
What brand diamond hones does everyone use? Better than other brands? I don't want to break my wallet and would like 3 or 4 different grits, which grits would be best for the Ontario Rat?
Im planning on buying another edge-pro at some point, bc i like convexed edges but my free-hand convexing is a little too inconsistent to trust on D2. I may put an assymetrical bevel on the Ontario, convex/flat. Do those ceramic belts at speed cause more chipping to the edge than a diamond hone or Arkansas stones? Would it help if I used the belts when stationary (Sometimes, i use the belts like hanging strops)? Or is it only an issue if the steel begins to heat up? Ive read though a high-speed steel, D2 shouldnt be allowed to heat up too much. Clarification and amplification, please?
Advice on buffing out scratches? The cloth wheel and the black emery compound with the hand-held rotary tool is what im going to use.
Sorry for the length. I've read these forums for years but this is only my second post, and I suppose I have a few years of questions all at once
Questions:
A sticky sharp blade never seems to last beyond stropping. Is that sticky-sharp sensation from the burr only?
How often does everyone else maintain their stones? I clean my stones before each use and after, but only flatten them when i notice uneven-ness. I cant tell with the hard black arkansas though, so I flatten it every 2 or 3 knives, but it's only a 3 inch stone. How often do you clean the stones with a brush though? Use soap or comet?
My Ontario Rat1 does seem to chip a bit at the very edge when honing, I think I just kept the factory angle of maybe 18 degrees per side. This could be bc I was just clumsy at the beginning. What angle do most put on a d2 edge? The Ontario is a flat grind. Would diamond hones, with their higher hardness, and a lighter stroke cause less chipping?
What brand diamond hones does everyone use? Better than other brands? I don't want to break my wallet and would like 3 or 4 different grits, which grits would be best for the Ontario Rat?
Im planning on buying another edge-pro at some point, bc i like convexed edges but my free-hand convexing is a little too inconsistent to trust on D2. I may put an assymetrical bevel on the Ontario, convex/flat. Do those ceramic belts at speed cause more chipping to the edge than a diamond hone or Arkansas stones? Would it help if I used the belts when stationary (Sometimes, i use the belts like hanging strops)? Or is it only an issue if the steel begins to heat up? Ive read though a high-speed steel, D2 shouldnt be allowed to heat up too much. Clarification and amplification, please?
Advice on buffing out scratches? The cloth wheel and the black emery compound with the hand-held rotary tool is what im going to use.
Sorry for the length. I've read these forums for years but this is only my second post, and I suppose I have a few years of questions all at once
